This may seem familiar as I have posted similar threads before but now that I am officially done with SATs and have visited some colleges, I would like to see where I stand.
Demographics: Asian male, middle class, PA
Objective:
GPA: 97 UW, 99 W(4.0 UW on 4 scale for context)
SAT: 1510/1600 New SAT superscored,1480 single sitting(2190 superscored, 2130 single sitting converted to old SAT)
SAT II: 720 Bio E
Rank- 2/100
Course Rigor- 7 APs, 8 Honors throughout high school, most rigorous in my school
ECs:
FBLA-2 years- treasurer(11), president(12)- 1st at regionals, ~20th at states
Model UN- 2 years- treasurer(12)- best delegate, 3 events per year
Tennis- 3 years- #2 singles on varsity team, club team, local tournaments, etc(biggest EC, not recruit level though)
Tennis volunteering- helping out at local clinics over this summer for our district residents(100 hrs)
Students against destructive decisions(SADD)-4 years-treasurer(11)
Engineering competition-11-12th
Recycling club- 9-12th- President(12)
Piano- seven years- private lessons
Other Factors:
Recs should be great
Honestly not the best writer but I will spend a lot of time on my essays
Reaches:
Georgetown(EA)
Boston College(EA)
Matches:
Lehigh
Bucknell
Villanova(EA)
Safety:
Ohio State
Penn State
Pitt
Does this seem like a balanced list so far? I have visited all but my reaches so far but those will be soon. Will qualify for a lot of need based aid at reaches and matches and worst case scenario is Ohio State with a ~23k/year COA with automatic scholarships which is still great. Will apply for Schreyer at Penn State, competitive scholarships at Ohio State, and scholarships/honors at Pitt. Are my reaches aiming a little too high? Any other suggestions?
Your list seems great and manageable. Your reaches aren’t aiming too high. You seem to be right where you should be. Your Mock UN activity leads me to think you’d be applying to Georgetown SFS. If so, you may not have as many ECs in that area of interest as other applicants but I wouldn’t let that discourage you from applying. You’re obviously a very strong student and have a guaranteed box checked for those objective stats. Focus on those essays and you’ll be a stellar applicant. Best of luck.
I think your list is great! Lots of leadership, good balance of matches, reaches, and safeties. If you focus a lot on your essays, I think your reach schools are within reach!!
@hamiltrash I forgot to put my major. I’m applying to the business schools. I don’t have much business ECs either but I do have FBLA and treasurer positions in a few clubs for what it’s worth.
I wouldn’t overstress the EC situation. That much dedication to a varsity sport shows dedication in itself. If it makes you feel any better, my brother had worse stats than you, his only EC was a varsity sports, and he got direct admittance into one of the best business schools in the US. Focus on letting your personality show through in your essay. Lot of time left to get that down
Also looking for some suggestions for additional match or reach schools. I think I have a solid safety list and would love to explore more colleges especially out of state.
Any more matches or reaches where I might be able to get significant merit, need based aid, or a combination? I have seen mixed opinions for Villanova and BC need aid and those are two of my top choices right now. NPCs come out good for BC and Villanova(less so than BC but still alright) but we have several circumstances which make NPCs unreliable(self employed, small business, rental) so I don’t want to rely on it.
@wisteria100 I was thinking BC might have been a match overall but I thought business was a lot harder to get into. I think EA is actually a little harder too but idk. BC and Villanova are actually my top choices so far but idk if they will end up affordable. Wash U is too far away, trying to stay in the northeast/mid Atlantic area. I have heard good things about Richmond but I don’t really know much about it. Will look into it more. Thanks for the suggestions.
You’re right, the b-school at BC is significantly more difficult for admissions. And the schools acceptance rate is low enough that it’s pretty much a “reach-for-everyone.”
@usualhopeful I know it’s a reach but do you think I’m competitive for business at BC? My SAT is at the 75th percentile for BC overall but that is probably also higher at CSOM. I know it’s harder but is it as hard as Georgetown? I’m applying EA also.
The list looks good to me. The only comment is that your safety schools seem to all be much bigger than your reach/match school. You may want to consider applying to a school more in line with the rest of your list such as Fordham (Gabelli if you want business) EA as another safety option as well (also you may get merit aid there).
@happy1 I don’t have much of a size preference. I like a campus that is pretty and has an actual defined campus compared to something like NYU. While Penn State and Pitt(have not visited tOSU) are much larger than my other schools, they still had that normal campus feel that I liked. Another reason I liked Villanova and BC so much is that they have such pretty and defined campuses with major cities nearby. I’m worried Georgetown might be too urban and won’t have that campus feel.
Also wanted to add some reaches but I’m not sure what is exactly reaching too much for me. I think my SATs and ECs aren’t good enough for tippy top schools. While I said I would want to have a business degree rather than Econ, I am open to Econ if there is some type of business program available. If I’m not mistaken, Chicago is a very liberal artsy school and only has Econ, but has a business seminar type program for undergrads. Anything similar to this available which I could consider a reach?
Do I have a chance at UNC OOS? I know it is extremely competitive OOS(19% acceptance rate) but am I a competitive applicant? I’m not sure how my SAT compares for an OOS applicant since my SAT is over the 75th percentile overall, but thats including all of the in state applicants. Also being male might help since its 60/40 female to male. Is business a lot more competitive than other colleges at UNC like other schools?